Beater adjustment for almond hullers



A. R. STEPHEN.

BEATER ADJUSTMENT FOR ALMOND HULLERS. APPLICATION FILED APR/12. 1921.

1 ,405 ,7 26, Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

I N VEN TOR.

Archibald R ASZ7 BY m A TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1

ancnrnarn R. s'rnrnnmor LODI, oanrr'onnra.

BEATER ADJUSTMENT FOR ALMOND HULLEBS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

Application'filed April 12, 1921. Serial No. 460,783.

following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in adjustment means for the beatersof almond hulling machines, being particularly intendedto be used with that type of huller shown in my Patent No. 1,859,766, dated November 23rd, 1920. This machine has a drum, a concentric driving shaft therein, and a plurality of radially and longitudinally disposed beater boards mounted in driving relation with the shaft.

It is highly'desirable and in fact necessary to be able to adjust the heaters relative to their spacing from the periphery of the drum, in order to insure proper and efiicient hulling or cracking of almonds ofdiiferent sizes. Such adjustment should also be made to all the heaters simultaneously or in unison for obvious reasons.

My previous patent shows such an adjustment means, but operable fromthe interior of the drum. This necessitates removing the cover from the drum, making an adjustment and replacing the cover to try out the new adjustment, very often having to repeat the operation, since the correct adjustment with this type is somewhat a matter. of guesswork. V

The principal object of the present invention therefore is to eliminate considerable of the time and labor necessary with the above described construction, by providing a means for adjusting the heaters from the exterior of the drum.

Another and also important object is to provide a gage means whereby the amount the unseen heaters are moved may be positively and accurately determined, and since the operator knows what size almonds the machine is about to handle, and also knows from experience the necessary spacing of the boaters from the drum to give proper results with certain sized nuts, the adjustments can be easily and quickly made, with the assurance that the heaters are correctly several views.

positioned without any guesswork or tryouts entering into the operation. 7 1' A further object of the invention is to produce a simple: and inexpensive device and yet on which will be exceedingly efiective for the purposes which it is desi ned.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of m huller, showlng the improved beater ad ustment means installed in connection therewith.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the adjustment mechanism itself.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on a line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken on a line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring nowmore'particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the

numeral 1 denotes a stationary drum of any suitable construction, projecting through which is a hollow shaft 2 journaled in ex terior bearings 3 and adapted to be rotated by any suitable means as for instance through the medium of a pulley 4.

Fixed on the shaft inside the drum are radial arms 5,fat the outer ends of which Turnably mounted in the sleeve-shaft 2,

but held against relative longitudinal movement is a shaft '8, preferably formed in two lengths suitably and rigidly coupled together, as shown at 9, this construction being merely for ease of manufacture and assembly. I Y

' On each side of the coupling the shaft is threaded, one portion of such beingright hand and the othe'rleft hand, as shown at 10 and 11 respectively. Threaded onto such portions are sleeves 12 provided with op- '7 boards employed.

v 15 are rigidly connected together by clampposed and radially disposed arms 13 which project through and are slidable in'slots 14 cut in the sleeve 2 fora certain distance in the length thereof. Slidable on the sleeve 2 are hubs 15 from whicha plurality of arms 16 project radially, the number of such arms being the same as the number of beater The arms 13' and hubs the links being for the purpose of correctly alining. the beater boards relative to the drive shaft when first setting up the machine.

' On one end of the shaft 8, to turn the same, is a hand wheel 18, having a gradu- .ated scale-shaft 19 projecting parallel to and extendin' along the sleeve 2. This scale member isslidable between the lugs 20 of a sleeve or collar 21 threaded on the sleeve 2, the number of threads per inch on the latter .being the same as that of 'the'threaded porr a dr ven shaft passing therethrough, beater tions 10 and 11 of the shaftS.

A look nut 22 adapted tobind and clamp the collar in place is also mounted on the sleeve 2 adjacent said collar.

'Moveme'nt of the collar 21 is limited in. one direction by a cap 23 on the outer end of the sleeve 2 and in the other direction by a stop 24 on the member 19, so that the movement of the heaters is correspondingly limited, the range of possible movement being determined to take care of'all adjustments which may be necessary.

' The operation of the adjustment mechanism is as followsz The main shaft 2 is first stopped from rotation, and the lock nut 22 then backed away from the collar 21. The hand wheel 18 may then be rotated which turnsthe shaft 8 and causes the members 15' to be moved in opposite directions'therealong, thus either straightening the links 16 and causing the beater boards to lie closer to the drum, or increasing the angle of the links and drawing the boards'inwardly, depending on the direction of rotation ofthe wheel.

- At the same time, the scale or gage pin rotates with the wheel, and this member, bearing against the "collar-lugs, causes the latter to move along the sleeve 2 owing to its threaded connection therewith, the distance thus moved lengthwise of said sleeve and thegage pin being the same distance as each member 15'II10V6S.

The lugs 20 co-act with the graduations on the gage member so that they form a marker to determine and control the amount of movement had or desired, each inch of graduation on'thescale representing a predetermined and always proportional radial movement of the heaters, so that the position of the heaters may be gaged to a nicety.

When the adjusting operationv is .completed, the lock nut is clamped against the collar, and the sleeve 2 may then be rotated,

the present and preferred construction of the 7 device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to and do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as'new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. In an almond huller comprising a drum,

boards mounted in connection with said shaft and arranged for radial movement relative thereto, sleeves slidably mounted on the shaft and turnable therewith, means connecting said sleeves with the beater boards whereby said boards will have radial movement imparted thereto when the sleeves are moved in oppositedirections, a shaft adapted to be turned by hand from one end of the first named shaft and extending therethrough, and means operatively connecting said hand turned shaft with the sleeves to move the latter in opposite directions with the rotation of said latter shaft.

2. In an almond huller comprising a drum, a driven shaft passing ther'ethrough, beater boards mounted in connection with said shaft and arranged for radial movement relative thereto, sleeves slidably mounted on the shaft and turnable" therewith, means connecting said sleeves with the beater boards whereby said boards will have radial movement imparted thereto when the sleeves are moved in opposite directions, a shaft.

adapted to be turned by hand from one end of the first named shaft and extending therethrough, meansv operatively connecting said hand turned shaft with the sleeves to move the latter in opposite directions with the rotation of said latter shaft, and visible gage means operatively connected with said hand turned shaft whereby to indicate the radial distance moved by the boards with the rotation of said shaft.

3. In an almond huller comprising a drum, a driven shaft projecting therethrough, beater boards mounted in connection wlth said shaft and extending parallel thereto and arranged for radial movement, a pair of sleeves slidably mounted on the shaft and turnable therewith, flexible links connecting said sleeves with the beater boards and arranged to impart radial movement thereto when the sleeves are moved in opposite di rections, means for so moving the sleeves from the exterior of the drum, and gage means for denoting the distance the sleeves are moved.

4. In an almond huller comprising a drum, a driven shaft projecting therethrough, beater boards mounted in connection with said shaft and arranged for radial movement relative thereto, a pair of sleeves slidably mounted on the shaft and turnable therewith, means connecting said sleeves with the beater boards whereby said boards will have radial movement imparted thereto when the sleeves are moved in opposite directions, a shaft adapted to be turned by hand from one end of the first named shaft extending therethrough, said first named shaft being hollow, similar but oppositely threaded portions on the last named shaft, and sleeves threaded onto said portions and connected to the first named sleeves, the hollow shaft being slotted longitudinally to allow of such connections being made.

5. In an almond hullercomprisinga drum, a. driven shaft projecting therethrough, beater boards mounted in connection with said shaft and arranged for radial movement relative thereto, a pair of sleeves slidably mounted on the shaft and turnable therewith, means connecting said sleeves with the beater boards whereby said boards will have radial movement imparted thereto when the sleeves are moved in opposite directions, a shaft adapted to be turned by hand from one end of the first named shaft extending. therethrough, said first named shaft being hollow, similar but oppositely threaded portions on the last named shaft, and sleeves threaded onto said portions and connected to the first named sleeves, the hollow shaft being slotted longitudinally to allow of such connections being made and means between the hand wheel and outer shaft whereby the distance moved by said sleeves lengthwise of the shaft will be visibly indicated.

(3. In an almond huller comprising a drum, a driven shaft projecting therethrough, beater boards mounted in connection with said shaft and arranged for radial movement relative thereto, a pair of sleeves slidably mounted on the shaft and turnable therewith, means connecting said sleeves with the beater boards whereby said boards will have radial movement imparted thereto when 7 the sleeves are moved in opposite directions, a shaft adapted to be turned by hand from one end of the first named shaft extending therethrough, said first named shaft being hollow, similar but oppositely threaded portions on the last named shaft, and sleeves threaded onto said portions and connected to the first named sleeves. the hollow shaft being slotted longitudinally to allow of such connections being made, a graduated scalepin fixed on the wheel and projecting parallel to the outer shaft and alongside the same, a collar threaded on said outer shaft, lugs on said collar engaging the pin and between which the latter is slidable, the lugs serving as markers co-acting with the scale graduations, and means whereby the actual longitudinal distance traversed by said collar with the rotation of the hand wheel will be the same as that moved by each sleeve.

7. In an almond huller comprising a drum, a driven shaft projecting therethrough, beater boards mounted in connection w1th said shaft and arranged for radial movement relative thereto, a pair of sleeves slid ably mounted on the shaft and turnable therewith, means connecting said sleeves with the beater boards whereby said boards will have radial movement imparted thereto when the sleeves are moved in opposite directions, a shaft adapted to be turned by hand from one end of the first named shaft extending therethrough, said first named shaft being hollow, similar but oppositely threaded portions on the last named shaft, and sleeves threaded onto said portions and connected to the first named sleeves, the hollow shaft being slotted longitudinally to allow of such connections being made, a graduated scale-pin fixed on the wheel and projecting parallel to the outer shaft and alongside the same, a collar threaded on said outer shaft and lugs on said collar engaging the pin and between which the latter is slidable,

the lugs serving as markers co-acting with the scale graduations, and the threads on said collar and outer shaft being of the same pitch as those of the oppositely threaded portions on the inner shaft.

8. In an almond huller, a driven shaft, radially positioned spider-arms fixed thereto, beater boards mounted at the outer ends of the arms and arranged for relative radial play, and angle irons fixed to said boards and extending parallel to and adjacent the arms.

9. In an almond huller, a driven shaft, radially positioned spider-arms fixed thereto, beater boards mounted at the outer ends of the arms and arranged for relative radial play, adjustment means for moving all the beaters radially, and means for individually adjusting the heaters to insure their parallel alinement with the shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ARCHIBALD R. STEPHEN. 

